100 Best Al Fresco Dining Restaurants in America

Posted on June 20, 2018.

OpenTable, the world’s leading provider of online restaurant reservations today unveiled the 100 Best Al Fresco Restaurants in America for 2018.

From the oceanside views at Leilani’s on the Beach in Hawaii and the stunning desert scenery at LON’s at The Hermosa Resort in Arizona to New York City’s Tavern on the Green, an oasis in the middle of the concrete jungle, the complete list features winning restaurants in 22 states. California comes out on top this year with 30 winning restaurants, followed by Florida with 26 and Hawaii with 10. Other notable states for outdoor dining include Arizona with eight winning restaurants and Maryland, Pennsylvania and South Carolina each with three. Connecticut, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee and Washington, D.C. are also among the winners.

While most of this year’s honorees serve American fare, other cuisines proved popular for outdoor dining, particularly seafood, French and Italian. “From picturesque restaurants with shaded terraces to vibrant rooftops and sidewalk cafés, this year’s list showcases the spots that take the al fresco experience to the next level,” said Caroline Potter, OpenTable’s Chief Dining Officer. “These restaurants offer friendly service and the ideal ambiance for diners looking to enjoy the warm weather and soak up the best sights of summer.”

The 100 Best Al Fresco Restaurants in America list is generated solely from more than 12 million verified OpenTable diner reviews for more than 27,000 restaurants in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. collected between May 1, 2017 and April 30, 2018. All restaurants with a minimum “overall” score and number of qualifying reviews were included for consideration. Qualifying restaurants were then scored and sorted according to the percentage of reviews for which “outdoor dining” was selected as a special feature.

Based on this methodology, the following restaurants, listed in alphabetical order, comprise the 100 Best Al Fresco Restaurants in America for 2018 according to OpenTable diners.